Dome for toy railway-stations.



H. G. IVES.

DOME FOR TOY RAILWAY STATIONS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.18, 1908.

935, 1 10, Patented Sept. 28, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

HARRY C. IVES, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE IVES MANU- FACTURING CORPORATION, OF BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

DOME FOR TOY RAILWAY-STATIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 19119,

Application filed November 18, 1908. Serial No. 463,209.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY C. Ivns, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Domes for Toy Railway-Stations, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in the construction of domes or roofs for toy railway station sheds or platforms which are designed in imitation of the larger domes employed over steam train sheds adjoining the stations, in large cities. Heretofore these domes have been made exclusively from sheet metal and glass, the former being used for the frame portion and the glass as a transparent covering. The sheet metal work has in all such instances been soldered together at all connectmg points and was suitably braced and reinforced to properly stiffen and strengthen the structure. While the article as thus produced was practical and attractive, yet it was very expensive to make owing to the great amount of hand labor required in soldering the many parts together. Therefore I have sought to simplify and cheapen domes of this class with a View of producing an attractive and desirable accessory for toy railway train outfits that may be readily set up in difierent sizes and be included for a small additional amount.

With the above objects in view my invention resides and consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts shown upon the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, upon which similar characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several figures, and of which,

Figure 1, shows a front perspective elevation of a toy railway station with my improved dome attached to the front thereof and covering the platform, tracks, etc. Fig. 2, is an enlarged detached side elevation partly broken away of the dome shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, is a central vertical cross section of the dome taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

This dome is designed to be employed in connection with either a single toy railway station as shown in Fig. 1, or in connection with what I term a double station, that is one where a station building like the one shown is arranged on each side of the track and the dome used to span across from one building to the other, or it may further be mounted solely upon posts like those shown under the near side of the dome in Fig. 1, in a way to cover a section of the track and the platforms and to form an open shed.

As before intimated these domes are manufactured separate of different lengths and are designed for attachment to both the buildings and posts, thus making one general design or style of dome suffice for all styles of stations.

In detail 10 represents a short section of a toy railway track, 11 the station building, 12 the dome which is supported along one side upon arms 13 secured to one side of the station, and on the other side upon posts 14 set on the platform 15 located along the near side of the track.

Referring to the construction of the dome 12, it will be seen that the same is of a general hip roof design, and comprises a metal frame and intermediate covering plates 16 of either metal, or plain or colored glass as desired. The metal portions of the frame are preferably formed of cast, sheet and drawn metal, suitably secured together in a simple but effective way. The bridge pieces 17 and 18 of which there may be any desired number according to the length of the dome, are preferably formed of cast metal a and in detail comprise a horizontal transverse base 19 to the underside of the end portions of which is formed a depending bracket 20 to rest upon the before mentioned arms 13 of the station or upon the upper ends of the posts 1 1 as desired. A pin 21 is also secured to these depending bracketsto detaohably engage holes in either the said arms on the depot, or posts 14, in a way to secure the parts together. The intermediate arms 22 of the bridge pieces, radiate from the center of the base 19 and intersect the corners, or hip portions 23 of the bridges in a way to form a light but effectually braced bridge. The end bridge pieces 17 differ from the intermediate bridge pieces 18 in that they contain an inwardly disposed flange 24 along the inner side of the top edge of their cornice portions, while the intermediate sections 18 are provided with a similar flange 25 upon both sides of their top portions to overlap the abutting edges of the plates 16. c It will further be noted that the intermediate bridges are provided with special shaped holes 26 through which suitable rolled and angle shaped sheet metal strips 27 and 28 are laced as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

I11 practice I use three of the strips 27 in the construction of each dome, and two of the shape designated by 28, which differ only in that the edges of the strips 27 are turned over on the underside of the glass, while the similar edges 28 of the lower strips are left straight. The angular shape and form of the both styles of strips are such as to form a longitudinal groove in which the side edges of the plates of glass are seated. The bridges and strips are thus spaced apart at equal distances to receive the plates 16 of glass or other material after which the strips 27 and 28, form longitudinal ridges and cornices of the structure, and serve to support the longitudinal edges of the plates, while the upper portions of the bridges divide and support the end portions of the plates. The whole device is first loosely assembled in the manner indicated and then secured together by the longitudinal rods 29 of which there are preferably three threaded through the holes 30 of the said bridge pieces and clamped by means of nuts 31 threadably engaging said rolls and screwed against the face of the end bridge pieces 17. In thisconnection it will be noted that each of the rolled sheet metal strips 27 and 28 as well as the end portions of the plates abut against the inner side of the end bridge pieces 17 and do not pass through the said end bridges as is the case with the intermediate bridges.

From the foregoing construction it will be noted that a longer or shorter dome can readily be formed in accordance with my design by simply using a greater or lesser number of bridge pieces, plates and longer or shorter strips and rods.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Ina dome of the class described, the combination of a series of transverse bridge pieces, longitudinal sheet metal division strips with their ends abutting against the sides of the said bridge pieces, covering plates intermediate of said bridge and sheet metal strips, and rods threaded through the said bridge pieces to clamp the parts together.

2. In a dome of the class described, the combination of a series of transverse bridge pieces, longitudinal sheet metal division strips, threaded through theintermediate bridge pieces and abutting against the sides of the end bridge pieces,- covering plates intermediate of said bridge and angle strips and rods threaded through the said bridge pieces to clamp the parts together.

3. In a dome of the class described, the combination of a series of transverse bridge pieces, having brackets attached to their base portions, means formed in the bracket for attachment to a support, longitudinal sheet metal division strips with their ends abutting against the sides of the end bridge pieces, covering plates intermediate of said bridge and angle strips and rods threaded through the said bridge pieces to clamp the parts together.

4. In a dome of the class described, the combination of a series of transverse bridge pieces, having inturned flanges along their top edges, longitudinal division strips threaded through the said bridge pieces, and covering plates intermediate of said bridges and sheet metal strips and rods threaded through the said bridge pieces to clamp the parts together.

5. In a dome of the class described, the

combination of a series of hipped bridge pieces, longitudinal sheet metal divisional strips intersecting the bridge pieces at each of their hipped or corner portions, covering plates intermediate of said bridges and sheet metal strips and rods threaded through the said bridge pieces to clamp the parts together.

6. In a dome of the class described, the combination of a series of longitudinal sheet metal divisional strips, a series of transverse bridge pieces having holes therethrough to receive the strips, plates arranged intermediate the bridges and strips, means for securing the bridges, strips and plates together, and means for the attachment of the bridges to a support.

7. In a dome of the class described, the combination with the other parts, of a bridge piece comprising a hollow portion having means for its attachment to a support, arms radiating from said base piece, hipped corniceportions joined on to said arms and having flanges turned over along its top edge, and suitable holes through the said bridge for the attachment of the other part-s.

Signed at Bridgeport in the county of F airfield, and State of Connecticut this 17th day of November, A. D., 1908.

HARRY C. IVES. lVitnesses C. M. NEWMAN, RUTH RAYMOND. 

